Civil Disorder: Compensation

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects all claims made under the Riots Damages Act 1886, following the riots in summer 2011, to be settled.

Damian Green: Responsibility for determining claims is a matter for police and crime commissioners or, in London, the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime.
	Only four uninsured cases made under the Riot (Damages) Act remain outstanding.
	The remainder of outstanding claims are reimbursement payments to insurers where the policy holder has already received an interim payment or settlement of their claim.
	The Government plans to hold a public consultation early this year on potential reforms to the Riot (Damages) Act.

Immigration: Appeals

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many decisions in immigration cases were decided in favour of the appellant (a) a week before the appeal date, (b) a day before the appeal date and (c) on the day of the appeal date.

Mark Harper: holding answer 20 January 2014
	A decision giving rise to an appeal may, on occasion, be withdrawn prior to the appeal date. The following table provides a breakdown of in-country appeal case types withdrawn by the Home in the requested time periods. The data relates to 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2013.
	The main reason for withdrawal taking place on or very close to the date of the hearing is that new evidence (often served by the appellant) comes to light which means the original decision is no longer sustainable and the hearing should not proceed.
	
		
			  Number 
			 Appeals withdrawn by the Home Office within a week of the appeal date 713 
			 Appeals withdrawn by the Home Office within a day of the appeal date 383 
			 Appeals withdrawn by the Home Office on the same day as the appeal date 873 
		
	
	The data on which our response is based is management information which has been subject to internal quality checks. The information has been provided by and assured by the Home Office Performance Unit but has not been quality assured under national statistics protocols.

Passports

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the prevalence of copycat websites for passport applications and renewals; what estimate she has made of the costs to consumers of using such websites; and what steps she is taking to inform the public about such websites.

Mark Harper: holding answer 17 January 2014
	The website www.gov.uk is the only provider of the British passport and passport applicants should use the official Government website.
	All third party sites stating that they are offering passport services are required to carry a clear disclaimer that they are not an official passport site or affiliated in any way to Her Majesty's Passport Office. The Government Digital Service is leading a cross-government exercise with organisations such as the Office of Fair Trading, the Advertising Standards Authority, search engine providers and various trading standard bodies to curtail the activity of websites that advertise their services in misleading ways, using existing consumer protection legislation. Where Government has become aware of websites make misleading claims in their advertising it has brought these complaints to the attention of the Advertising Standards Authority.
	Her Majesty's Passport Office also continues to work with the Association of British Travel Agents to raise public awareness of third party websites.

Passports

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will meet Google to discuss the profits they make from copycat websites which charge for passport renewals and appear above Government department and agency websites in search results.

Mark Harper: The website www.gov.uk is the only provider of the British passport and passport applicants should use the official Government website.
	The Government Digital Service are leading a cross-Government exercise with organisations such as the Office of Fair Trading, the Advertising Standards Authority, search engine providers (including Google) and various trading standards bodies to curtail the activity of websites that advertise their services in misleading ways.
	Ministers are planning to meet Google early this year to discuss Google's enforcement of its own terms and conditions for advertising on its search results pages.

Work Experience

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people aged (a) 16 and under and (b) over 16 years old undertook work experience in her Department in each of the last three years.

Mark Harper: The Home Office do not centrally record the number of people who undertake work experience and to provide this information could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Procurement

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what value of contracts procured by his Department in the last five years was carried out below EU thresholds.

Nicky Morgan: Information on the number and value of contracts procured in the last five years that were below EU thresholds is not readily available within our records; to attempt to extract this information would be of disproportionate cost.
	The government is committed to openness and transparency to enable the public to hold the government and other public bodies to account. This government has made more data available than ever before. Since January 2011, central Government Departments have been required to publish on Contracts Finder information on the tenders issued and contracts they award with a value over £10,000 (excluding VAT)
	www.gov.uk/contracts-finder
	In addition, Departments including HM Treasury routinely publish details of transactions over £25,000.

Taxation: Scotland

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions his Department has had with Ministers or officials from the Scottish Government on (a) new taxes and (b) devolution of taxes under provisions contained in the Scotland Act 2012 since that Act came into force.

Danny Alexander: Treasury Ministers and officials regularly meet with Ministers and officials from the Scottish Government to discuss matters that are relevant to Scotland. This includes meetings of the Joint Exchequer Committee (JEC) and Inter-governmental Assurance Board, which were created to oversee the implementation of the Scotland Act 2012. The Scottish Government is also represented on HMRC's Scotland Act 2012 implementation programme board and the project boards that report to it. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings and discussions.

UK Asset Resolution

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff are employed by (a) UKAR and (b) UKAR Corporate Services Ltd.

Sajid Javid: UK Asset Resolution publishes their staff numbers in their accounts. The latest publication is available under the following link:
	http://www.ukar.co.uk/~/media/Files/U/Ukar-V2/Attachments/press-releases/UKAR-interim-report-141113.pdf

Broadband: Rural Areas

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the roll out of broadband in rural areas.

David Mundell: One of the first meetings the Secretary of State for Scotland, the right hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr Carmichael), had on coming into office was with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Maria Miller). Officials in the Scotland Office are in regular and frequent contact with DCMS officials on broadband issues.

Afghanistan

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what equipment has been sold by Afghan Disposals to date; what the original cost of that equipment was; and how much it was sold for.

Philip Dunne: When equipment and materiel is no longer required in Afghanistan, a decision is made on whether to gift, sell, destroy or redeploy the item. This decision is made with consideration to operational priority and value for money and is also dependant upon the type of equipment. The Ministry of Defence does not sell anything that could be deemed to be attractive to criminal or terrorist organisations or that would contravene international arms trafficking regulations.
	As at 31 December 2013, we have sold a wide range of equipment and de-militarised scrap in Afghanistan including Land Rovers, printer cartridges, gym equipment and scrap metal. The total value of equipment and de-militarised scrap sold to date is approximately £2.844 million—allowing for exchange rate fluctuations.
	I am unable to provide you with the original cost of these items as this information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Army: Recruitment

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date the new IT system for army recruitment will be operational; and what contingency plans his Department has in place in the event that the project is delayed beyond that date.

Anna Soubry: As the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), informed the House on 14 January 2014, Official Report, column 716, the advanced IT system currently being developed with Capita is expected to be deployed in February 2015.
	We are continuing to successfully recruit regular and reserve soldiers using existing Ministry of Defence systems, which, although not designed for the new partnering arrangement, still enable us to process applications. Furthermore a range of initiatives are being put in place to make it progressively easier and quicker for an applicant to enlist. These include: the introduction in December 2013 of an updated Army recruitment website; and by the end of January 2014 a simplified on-line application form and more streamlined medical clearance processes.

Training

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which Ministers in his Department have undertaken training courses; and in the case of each such course what the (a) name of the course provider, (b) purpose of the course and (c) cost of each session in the course was.

Elizabeth Truss: Details about which training courses the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), and Ministers in his Department have undertaken are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Nature Conservation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the Wildlife and Countryside Link report entitled Nature Check 2013, an analysis of Government's natural environment commitments, published on 19 November 2013; and if he will make it his policy to accept the recommendations on (a) providing strong leadership and a clarity of purpose that will reverse the decline in wildlife and reconnect people with nature, (b) enabling the statutory nature conservation bodies to fulfil their critical role as champions of nature by (i) allowing them a voice in developing public policy consistent with their expertise, (ii) properly funding their functions and (iii) not imposing a growth duty and (c) enforcing the rules and regulations that protect our environmental public goods, whether domestic or European in origin; and if he will make a statement.

George Eustice: I welcome the engagement of Wildlife and Countryside Link members in the environment agenda. It is important that the Government and civil society organisations engage constructively, though accepting we will not always agree on every issue. Link's Nature Check report is a part of that ongoing dialogue. There are some areas of the report where we are in agreement, for example the historic reform of the common fisheries policy, though generally we believe that Nature Check does not give sufficient credit for progress that has been made.
	On point (a), we are showing strong leadership on the environment. For example, internationally, we played a leading role in reaching the important international biodiversity agreement at Nagoya in 2010 and are playing an important role on topics such as ivory, whaling and on illegal wildlife trafficking. In England, we have produced the first White Paper on the environment for 20 years and are making good progress on implementation, as well putting in place an ambitious Biodiversity Strategy for England.
	On point (b) I agree that our statutory nature conservation bodies have an important role to play. Natural England, as the key public body in this area, is already actively engaged with our policy development work as part of the DEFRA family. Its grant in aid, while necessarily reducing, is sufficient to enable it to continue to fulfil its statutory responsibilities and Government priorities. The proposed duty on non-economic regulators, to have regard to growth, will support growth without weakening environmental protection. It will be complementary to existing duties and will not override Natural England's general purpose under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006.
	Finally, on point (c), DEFRA and its delivery bodies are committed to fair and proportionate enforcement of the regulations for which we are responsible. Interventions are risk-based, supporting generally compliant businesses and targeting serious and persistent offenders.

A303

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to publish the draft A303 feasibility study.

Robert Goodwill: The Department has committed to undertaking six feasibility studies as part of the process of identifying and funding solutions to tackle some of the most notorious and long-standing road hot spots in the country. The studies include work on the problems on the A303/A30/A358 corridor.
	As part of that process we committed to engage with stakeholders to develop and agree the detailed scope of the study. On 15 January I wrote to my hon. Friends whose constituencies, lie within the proposed geographic scope of the study, to set out a brief synopsis of our proposals for the study. The Department has put in place arrangements to discuss details of the proposed scope of the study work with relevant stakeholders during January and February. I will provide my hon. Friend with copies of the documentation sent to my hon. Friends.
	Government expects to report back at autumn statement 2014 with progress to alleviate congestion and tackle the enduring problems in these areas.

Bus Services: Disability

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department has decided a way forward for audio visual technology on buses in accordance with Task 2 of Headline 2 of the Accessibility Action Plan.

Stephen Hammond: Our recent Accessibility Action Plan progress report, published on 24December 2013, included cost details for various audio/visual systems which confirmed that this technology currently comes at a considerable cost.
	My hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Transport (Baroness Kramer), will therefore write to bus industry representatives shortly to encourage the development of more affordable audio-visual systems for buses and we will continue to work with bus industry stakeholders to identify the best solutions to improve access to the public transport system for all passengers.

Bus Services: Disability

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reason buses are not required to have audio-visual announcements for accessibility in the same way as trains; and if he will make it his policy to introduce such a requirement.

Stephen Hammond: We recognise that many people find audio and visual announcements useful for travelling and understand the social benefits of having such systems on both trains and buses.
	The inclusion of audio/visual systems in the Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations will ensure that all rail passengers will benefit from this technology by 2020. However, the deregulated bus industry outside London provides many more journeys, stops and vehicles than the rail sector while comprising a far greater number of operators. In light of this, we have not sought to make audio/visual systems mandatory on buses and have no plans to do so as the business case for bus operators has not been demonstrated and the Government is unwilling to impose financial burdens of this kind on the industry in the current financial climate.
	However, my hon. Friend, the Minister of State will write to bus industry representatives shortly to encourage further development of more affordable audio/visual systems for buses, and we will continue to work with stakeholders to identify the best way to improve access to the public transport system for all passengers.

Bus Services: Visual Impairment

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent steps his Department has taken to improve bus accessibility for blind and partially sighted people.

Stephen Hammond: On 13 December 2012, the Department for Transport published an Accessibility Action Plan, which seeks to address the challenges that remain in making public transport more accessible for all disabled passengers. This included a commitment to examine the cost of audio/visual technical options for buses and decide a way forward, which we have addressed in our Accessibility Action plan progress report, published in December 2013.
	In May 2011, the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker), wrote to the bus industry about increasing the uptake of audio visual systems and my hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Transport (Baroness Kramer), will follow this up shortly by writing to bus industry representatives to encourage the development of more affordable audio-visual technology for buses.
	Finally, five local authorities (Bournemouth, Hampshire, Milton Keynes, York and the West Midlands ITA) are increasing the provision of audio-visual systems on buses in their local area with funding from the Department's £70 million 'Better Bus Area' fund.

Rescue Services: Belfast

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many unfilled coastguard vacancies there are at Belfast Coastguard station.

Stephen Hammond: There are currently no vacancies at Belfast Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre.

Rescue Services: North East

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport to how many emergency incidents HM Coastguard responded in (a) the North East and (b) the Tees Valley in each year since 2008.

Stephen Hammond: Her Majesty's Coastguard is responsible for the co-ordination of civilian maritime Search and Rescue, and that function is managed by coastguards at Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres.
	The information is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Training

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which Ministers in his Department have undertaken training courses; and in the case of each such course what the (a) name of the course provider was, (b) purpose of the course was and (c) cost of each session in the course was.

Stephen Hammond: Media training was provided by Angela Coles for my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Transport (Baroness Kramer) and the Under-Secretary of State for Transport, my hon. Friend the Member for Scarborough and Whitby (Mr Goodwill), on 6 November 2013 and 21 October 2013 respectively. This was provided at a total cost of £1,907.40.
	No other Ministers currently in the Department have undertaken any training at a cost to the Department.

Accident and Emergency Departments

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of patients waited longer than four hours to be seen in accident and emergency departments in the first week of January in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: The following table shows the proportion of patients attending accident and emergency (A and E) departments (all types) who were transferred, admitted or discharged in over four hours. To ensure consistency, data are provided for the equivalent week in each year, which is the fortieth week of the year, for the last five years.
	
		
			 Proportion of people who attended A and E departments (all types) who were transferred, admitted or discharged in over four hours in week 40 for the last five years 
			  Week ending1 A and E performance standard (Percentage) Proportion of patients who were transferred, admitted or discharged in more than four hours from arrival at A and E (Percentage) 
			 2009-102 3 January 2010 98 3.2 
			 2010-113 2 January 2011 95 6.6 
			 2011-124 8 January 2012 95 5.3 
			 2012-13 6 January 2013 95 7.0 
			 2013-14 5 January 2014 95 5.7 
			 1 Data provided is for the fortieth week of the year. 2 Weekly data for 2009-10 are management information and are not publicly available. The official source of A and E performance data at this time was the Quarterly Monitoring Collection. 3 The official source of A and E performance weekly data for 2010-11 was the Quarterly Monitoring collection. 4 For 2011-12, week 40 ended on 8 January 2012. 
		
	
	It is helpful context to include Hospital Episode Statistics.
	There are three measures of waiting times in the NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre Hospital Episode Statistics for A and E. These are time to assessment; time to treatment; and time to departure. The information requested is shown in the following tables. Information for 2012-13 is not yet available.
	
		
			 Mean and median duration to assessment1 for attendances at A and E departments (all types) from April 2008 to March 2012 in England 
			  Mean (minutes) Median (minutes) 
			 2008-09 60.8 7 
			 2009-10 76.8 9 
			 2010-11 64.5 10 
			 2011-12 33.1 8 
		
	
	
		
			 Mean and median duration to treatment2 for attendances at A and E departments (all types) from April 2008 to March 2012 in England 
			  Mean (minutes) Median (minutes) 
			 2008-09 115.6 55 
			 2009-10 102.0 55 
			 2010-11 98.4 58 
			 2011-12 75.4 52 
		
	
	
		
			 Mean and Median duration to departure3 for attendances at accident and emergency departments (all types) from April 2008 to March 2012 in England 
			  Mean (minutes) Median (minutes) 
			 2008-09 136.2 117 
			 2009-10 134.7 122 
			 2010-11 145.7 130 
			 2011-12 138.2 125 
			 1 Duration to assessment: This is the total amount of time in minutes between the patients' arrival and their initial assessment in the A and E department. This is calculated as the difference in time from arrival at A and E to the time when the patient is initially assessed. 2 Duration to treatment: This is the total amount of time in minutes between the patients' arrival and the start of their treatment. This is calculated as the difference in time from arrival at A and E to the time, when the patient began treatment. 3 Duration to departure: This is total amount of time spent in minutes in an A and E department. This is calculated as the difference in time from arrival at A and E to the time when the patient is discharged from A and E care. This includes being admitted to hospital, dying in the department, discharged with no follow up or discharged and referred to another specialist department. Note: Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre.

Ambulance Services: Radiation Exposure

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which ambulance trusts have Hazardous Area Response Team paramedics trained to deal with radiation contaminated casualties; and how many paramedics are identified under Regulation 14(1) of the Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations 2001 for each ambulance trust.

Jane Ellison: All English ambulance trusts have at least one Hazardous Area Response Team trained and equipped to deal with radiological incidents, as set out under 14(1) in the Radiation Emergency Preparedness and Public Information Regulations 2001. There are 15 Hazardous Area Response Teams across all the 10 English ambulance trusts. There are 42 staff per Hazardous Area Response Team.

Antibiotics

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to reduce the length of time that people use antibiotics; and if he will commission research into the effects on patients of overuse of antibiotics.

Jane Ellison: The management of the over-use of antibiotics is a key part of the Government's United Kingdom 5 Year Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy, which was published in September 2013. The over-use of antibiotics is linked to the increase in resistant organisms in human and animal health. One of the key aims of the Strategy is to preserve the effectiveness of existing treatments through responsible prescribing of antibiotics. This will build on existing work such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance for prescribes on the use of antibiotics. NICE's Key Therapeutic Topics give advice on specific antibiotics, recommending three day courses rather than longer five or 10 day courses.
	A cross-Government High Level Steering Group, will oversee the implementation of the entire Strategy, including any research requirements on the effects of patients of the overuse of antibiotics. The National Institute for Health Research has issued a themed call for research into the evaluation of public health measures, health care interventions and health services to reduce the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance and consequent morbidity.

Bexsero

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the draft Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation minutes of 2 October 2013, was assessment has been made of how many children would be ineligible for the Bexsero vaccine under the proposed formula.

Jane Ellison: At the meeting held on 2 October 2013, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation reviewed the impact and cost-effectiveness of the routine use of Bexsero in the United Kingdom, including assessments of the universal routine vaccination of infants and adolescents. Bexsero is indicated for active immunisation of individuals from two months of age and older, unless contraindicated. No estimate has been made of the number of children contraindicated to Bexsero.

Breast Cancer

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department will take steps to promote the drinking of tomato juice to reduce the incidence of breast cancer.

Jane Ellison: The Government promotes a diet visually depicted in the eatwell plate. The Government recommends people eat at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables a day. Each type of fruit and vegetables contain different nutrients and components and this variety is important for overall health and wellbeing.
	There is limited evidence on specific fruit and vegetables and disease reduction, including for tomato juice.

Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to improve NHS treatment provision for patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia.

Jane Ellison: NHS England is responsible for commissioning specialised services and improving NHS treatment provision for children and adults with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH).
	NHS England's ‘Paediatric Medicine: Endocrinology and Diabetes’ service specification sets out how the service should ensure access to high quality treatment for endocrine disorders in children, including CAH, across England. Treatments offered include medical and surgical management of endocrine disease, nutritional and psychological support for the child and their family, educational support and counselling about preparation for treatment and prognosis. Many children with endocrine disease have a life-long chronic disease and therefore contact with the paediatric endocrine service will be extensive.
	With regard to adults, NHS England's service specification for specialised endocrinological services, including CAH, makes it clear that one of the aims of the service is to provide and deliver access to high quality medical and surgical treatment for patients with endocrinological conditions, including CAH, across England.
	Service specifications clearly set out what providers need to have in place to offer evidence-based, safe and effective services.

General Practitioners

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to improve access to GP services for vulnerable older people.

Jane Ellison: Improving general practitioner (GP) services for vulnerable older people is a key priority of the Government. Progress has been made in a number of ways.
	Changes have recently been announced for the 2014-15 GP contract, which states that all over 75s will have a named GP responsible for overseeing their care. In addition, patients with urgent enquiries will be able to access same-day telephone consultations and follow-up arrangements as necessary.
	The Prime Minister announced that a £50 million fund would be established for supporting access to general practice. As well as seven day week access and evening opening hours, the pioneer GP groups will test a variety of forward thinking services.
	Finally, integration pioneers will be leading the way in exploring new models for providing seamless care for people in local areas. This work will complement the £3.8 billion Better Care Fund which will ensure pooled budgets are established between health and social care in every area to achieve better joined up care.

Health

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of signatories to the Public Health Responsibility Deal with regard to the pledges dealing with (a) construction and civil engineering industries, (b) domestic violence, (c) improving the health of young employees, (d) mental health and well-being, (e) staff health checks and (f) smoking cessation.

Jane Ellison: We would like to see as many organisations as possible signed up to all of the pledges that are relevant to them. We identify appropriate organisations and contact them directly to invite them to sign up. We also engage with potential partners through hosting external events, speaking at key business events, working with those who have a specific sectorial or special interest in the pledges and existing Responsibility Deal Partners.
	Dame Carol Black, expert adviser on health at work to the Department travels across the country promoting the Deal through site visits, award ceremonies and events.
	The quarterly high level network meetings consider strategies to promote sign up to the Responsibility Deal. We have sub groups set up on domestic violence, mental health and construction and encourage members to be ambassadors and promote the Deal. Each year, we host a Partnership Forum which is open to all our existing signatories and where we also encourage organisations to find out more and possibly sign up.

Health

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department as an employer has signed up to (a) the Public Health Responsibility Deal and (b) the sub-pledges regarding (i) construction and civil engineering industries, (ii) domestic violence, (iii) improving the health of young employees, (iv) mental health and well-being, (v) staff health checks and (f) smoking cessation.

Jane Ellison: Full details of the partners signed up to the Responsibility Deal and the pledges they have signed up to are available on the Responsibility Deal website:
	https://responsibilitydeal.dh.gov.uk/partners/
	The Department has signed up to all the Health at Work network pledges apart from H.10 which is specific to the construction and civil engineering industries;.

Health and Wellbeing Boards

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will encourage health and wellbeing boards to involve dental health professionals.

Norman Lamb: The Health and Social Care Act 2012 (the Act) established health and wellbeing boards as committees of local authorities. The Act also mandated the statutory core membership of boards to include a minimum of one local elected representative; a representative of each clinical commissioning group; a representative of the local Healthwatch organisation; the directors of adult social services, children's services, and public health.
	Beyond this statutory minimum membership, it is for local authorities and the board to shape their wider membership which may well mean drawing on the expertise of members from the voluntary and community sector and the dental health profession. However, central Government maintains that these decisions are best left for local determination.
	Furthermore, membership of health and wellbeing boards will not be the only way to engage with the—work of boards. We expect boards will want to ensure that they have wider mechanisms in place to draw on the expertise of other groups when developing their joint strategic needs assessments and joint health and wellbeing strategies.

Health Services: Older People

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure that care is better co-ordinated for elderly people discharged from accident and emergency departments to prevent re-admissions.

Jane Ellison: Changes have recently been announced for the 2014-15 general practitioner (GP) contract which state that all over 75s will have a named GP responsible for overseeing their care. Through an enhanced service, GPs will also be asked to identify which of their patients may be at risk of readmission and take preventative actions.
	Named GPs will also ensure that, following discharge from hospital, vulnerable patients are contacted by an appropriate professional to arrange their on-going care in a coordinated way.
	We have also asked GPs to review emergency admissions from care and nursing homes in order to prevent unnecessary visits to accident and emergency.

Health Services: South East

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the current operational status of the Better Services, Better Value review in South West London and Surrey is; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: The six south-west London clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are actively discussing the next steps for local health services following the withdrawal of Surrey Downs CCG from the Better Services, Better Value programme.

Health Visitors

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent progress he has made against his target of increasing the number of health visitors by 50 per cent by 2015.

Daniel Poulter: The Government is committed to growing by April 2015, the health visitor work force by 4,200 and transforming health visiting services to improve health outcomes and reduce inequalities.
	The latest health visiting work force data1 (for October 2013) shows the total number of health visitors nationally is 9,770 full-time equivalents (FTEs).
	This is 1,678 more health visitors compared to the May 2010 baseline of 8,092 and equates to 40% of the 4,200 extra health visitors required by April 2015.
	1 Published on 21 January 2014 by the Health and Social Care Information Centre

Heart Diseases

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policy of recent research into genetic indicators of increased risk of heart attacks.

Jane Ellison: The Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes Strategy, published in March 2013, recognised the need to improve the identification of individuals and families that may have inherited cardiac conditions. NHS England's National Clinical Director for heart disease is working with all relevant stakeholders to develop and spread good practice in relation to these conditions.

Human Papillomavirus

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will make an estimate of the total number of cases of cervical, vaginal, vulval, penile, anal, head and neck cancers that would be prevented in each year in both (a) females and (b) males if the HPV vaccination programme was extended to boys;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the total number of cases of genital warts prevented each year in (a) females and (b) males under the HPV vaccination programme;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the total number of cases of cervical, vaginal, vulval, penile, anal, head and neck cancers prevented each year in (a) females and (b) males by the current HPV vaccination programme;
	(4)  if he will make an estimate of the total number of cases of genital warts that would be prevented each year in (a) females and (b) males if the HPV vaccination programme was extended to boys.

Jane Ellison: Estimates of the potential impact of the HPV vaccination programme on cancer and warts have been previously published by Public Health England in the BMJ in 2011. A copy of this will be provided to the Library.
	The data estimate that in the United Kingdom, eventually, the HPV vaccine currently being used may be preventing around 630 to 1,100 cervical cancer cases a year and 380 to 950 cases of anal, vulvar and vaginal cancer a year. If the vaccine additionally protects against HPV 16/18 related penile and oropharyngeal cancers, the number of non-cervical cancers prevented could increase to 560 - 1,000 cases a year.
	The development of cancer typically takes many years following HPV infection: the impact of HPV vaccination on cancer cases will therefore take many years to be fully realised.
	A HPV subcommittee of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has been established and will be considering a number of key issues around HPV vaccination, including the option of vaccinating men who have sex with men (MSM) and/or adolescent boys. The first meeting of the HPV subcommittee will be held early in 2014.
	PHE have begun preliminary modelling to assess the impact and cost-effectiveness of vaccinating men who have sex with men, in anticipation of further guidance on this when the HPV subcommittee meets. Further work to assess the impact and cost-effectiveness of vaccinating adolescent boys against HPV infection is also planned.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the extent and adequacy of provision of in-vitro fertilisation in (a) Peterborough constituency and (b) England; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for commissioning many healthcare services, including infertility services, to meet the requirements of their population. In doing so, CCGs need to ensure that the services they provide are fit for purpose, reflect the needs of the local people and are value for money.
	To support CCGs in their commissioning of infertility services, NHS England has issued a factsheet to them which sets out how CCGs should approach commissioning fertility services and take account of the revised National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Fertility Guideline.
	We do not assess the extent of in-vitro fertilisation provided in Peterborough centrally.

Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the written answer of 14 January 2014, Official Report, column 544W, on Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, what the membership of the meningococcal sub-committee was; and who was responsible for appointment to that committee.

Jane Ellison: The membership of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, and its sub-committees, is published on the Government Website at:
	www.gov.uk/government/policy-advisory-groups/joint-committee-on-vaccination-and-immunisation
	The chairperson of a sub-committee is appointed by the Chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, and membership of a sub-committee is agreed by the Chair of that sub-committee. At its last meeting, held on 13 July 2013, the membership of the meningococcal sub-committee consisted of
	Dr Andrew Riordan, Chair (Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation);
	Professor Andrew Pollard (University of Oxford);
	Professor David Goldblatt (University College London);
	Professor Mike Levin (Imperial College London);
	Dr Anthony Harnden (Oxford University and Morland House Surgery);
	Ms Anne McGowan (National Public Health Service for Wales); and
	Professor Matt Keeling (University of Warwick).

Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what meetings he has held with representatives of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation since 2 October 2013.

Jane Ellison: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), has not met with representatives of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation since 2 October 2013.

Lung Cancer: Females

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his taking to reduce the incidence of lung cancer in women.

Jane Ellison: Smoking is the biggest cause of preventable death and illness in England and the primary cause of lung cancer. That is why the Government published “Healthy Lives Healthy People: “a tobacco control plan for England” in 2011.
	The Plan set out a number of commitments to reduce the take-up of smoking in young people, to support smokers to quit and to protect everyone from the harms of second-hand smoke, as well as national ambitions to reduce smoking prevalence among adults, 15 year olds and pregnant women by the end of 2015,
	Along with our partners in Public Health England, we are taking wide-ranging action to tackle risk factors for the prevention of diseases, including cancer, and addressing: tobacco use; obesity; unhealthy diets; physical inactivity; and harmful consumption of alcohol. Key elements of the work programme involve action at the national level, including working with industry through the Public Health Responsibility Deal, alongside strengthening local action, promoting healthy choices, and giving appropriate information to support healthier lives through social marketing campaigns such as Change4Life.

Muscular Dystrophy

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  with reference to his letter to the right hon. Member for North Somerset of 15 May 2013, what the evidential basis is for the statement that (a) muscular dystrophy is caused by mitochondrial disease and (b) cases of muscular dystrophy could be prevented by new techniques which aim to prevent mitochondrial disorders;
	(2)  with reference to his letter to the right hon. Member for North Somerset of 15 May 2013, for what reason it was (a) stated that muscular dystrophy is caused by mitochondrial disease and (b) implied that cases of muscular dystrophy could be prevented by new techniques which aim to prevent mitochondrial disorders;
	(3)  with reference to his letter to the right hon. Member for North Somerset of 15 May 2013, what the evidential basis is for the statement that proposed new treatments to prevent mitochondrial disorders are not similar to cloning; and under what activities the Newcastle licence for pronuclear transfer (R0153) is covered.

Norman Lamb: Muscular dystrophies are a group of muscle diseases that weaken the musculoskeletal system and limit movement. There are a number of different causes including abnormalities of structural proteins, for example Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, and mitochondrial abnormalities. Thus mitochondrial abnormalities can cause muscular dystrophy but there are many other causes. Much of the research to develop new techniques to prevent mitochondrial disease was funded by the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign. Only those cases of muscular dystrophy caused by mitochondrial DNA abnormalities could be prevented by new the techniques.
	Although a similar methodology is used, neither of the two techniques proposed to prevent transmission of serious mitochondrial disease is equivalent to reproductive cloning. Any children resulting from the use of these techniques would have arisen from fertilisation and be genetically unique, rather than a copy of an existing person. They would be the genetic child of the woman receiving treatment and her partner.
	The research licence R0153, “Mitochondrial DNA Disorders: Is there a way to prevent transmission?”, issued by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), expired on 31 August 2011. Since August 2011, research involving pronuclear transfer has been carried out under research licence R0152, “Pluripotency, reprogramming and mitochondrial biology during early human development”. The licence authorises the storage and keeping of human embryos, the use of donated embryos and the creation of embryos in vitro for use in the research. Summaries of the two projects can be found on the HFEA's website at:
	http://www.hfea.gov.uk/1564.html

NHS: Complaints

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health by what process (a) patients and (b) healthcare suppliers can make complaints about the decisions of NHS commissioners.

Daniel Poulter: There are a number of routes through which to make complaints concerning commissioners and decisions, depending on the type of complaint:
	a complaint under the Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009;
	an appeal against a decision on an Individual Funding Request;
	a complaint to Monitor about failure to comply with legal obligations; or
	judicial review.
	The Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009 cover any function provided or commissioned by the NHS. A complaint may be made by a person who is affected, or likely to be affected, by the action, omission or decision of the body which is the subject of the complaint.
	Health care suppliers wishing to complain about the decisions of NHS commissioners can approach Monitor and request they consider whether their conduct is consistent with the National Health Service (Procurement, Patient Choice and Competition) Regulations (No. 2) 2013.

Procurement

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's 10 largest contracts let since the financial year 2010-11 are; what savings have been made in such contracts; what the level of overspend or underspend was in each such contract; and what steps his Department has taken to monitor the performance of each supplier of such contract following the contract award. [Official Report, 26 February 2014, Vol. 576, c. 3-5MC.]

Daniel Poulter: The 10 largest contracts that have been let by the Department since the financial year 2010-11 are as follows:
	
		
			 Contract title Supplier Contract start date Contract end date Total contract value (£) 
			 ICT-IMS 3 Services ATOS 17 January 2012 17 January 2017 72,000,000 
			 NIHR Clinical Research Network Coordinating Centre (CRNCC) University of Leeds 1 April 2010 31 March 2015 53,000,000 
			 Co-ordinating Centre for the UK Clinical Research Network (UKCRN) University of Leeds 1 April 2010 30 March 2015 41,000,000 
			 Contract for the supply and management of a buffer stock of medicines Restricted-Commercial 24 May 2010 29 April 2015 Restricted-Commercial 
			 Facilities Management plus other Allied Services EMCOR Facilities Services Ltd 1 September 2010 31 August 2017 42,000,000 
			 Centre for Workforce Intelligence Mouchel Management Consulting Ltd 1 October 2010 31 December 2014 25,000,000 
			 Contract for the supply and management of a buffer stock of medicines Restricted-Commercial 21 June 2010 20 June 2015 Restricted-Commercial 
			 Managed Service-Specialist Contractors and Interim Managers. Via DWP. (Cipher) CAPITA Resourcing Ltd 1 November 2011 2 December 2013 22,000,000 
			 Master Vendor Agreement-Admin and Clerical Staff Hays Specialist Recruitment Ltd 1 June 2011 30 November 2013 15,000,000 
			 National Dietary Nutrition Survey NATCEN 1 September 2012 31 December 2018 15,000,000 
		
	
	Savings have been accrued in these contracts but specific figures cannot be provided without disproportionate costs being incurred.
	Levels of overspend or underspend against these contracts is assumed to mean the comparison of an allocated annual internal budget to deliver the contract, with the actual annual contract expenditure. It is not possible to provide this information without disproportionate costs-being incurred.
	Supplier performance is routinely monitored by individual departmental contract managers in accordance with the terms of each contract, and with reference to departmental and wider Government policies and best practices.

Radiotherapy

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what new clinical evidence his Department has gathered since the publication of the National Radiotherapy Implementation Group Report on Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy in 2011 on treating cancers of the prostate, head and neck, liver. spine and pancreas with stereotactic ablative radiotherapy;
	(2)  for what reason none of the recommendations of the National Radiotherapy Implementation Group report on clinical trials for stereotactic ablative radiotherapy published in 2011 have been implemented.

Jane Ellison: The National Radiotherapy Implementation Group (NRIG) report on Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy (SABR), published in 2011, made a comprehensive assessment of the role and opportunities for SABR in cancer treatment. The guidance was intended to support commissioners, providers and clinicians to deliver SABR services locally.
	The report concluded that the evidence only supported the routine use of SABR in the treatment of early stage non-small cell lung cancer for patients who are unsuitable for surgery. With regard to other cancers, such as those of the prostate, head and neck, liver, spine and pancreas it recommended that treatment should only be commissioned within a clinical trial or on an individualised basis. However, the report added that SABR was an evolving treatment area and that those working within the field should review the latest literature to support their clinical practice.
	The Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including cancer treatment. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the scientific quality of the proposals made. The NIHR has not funded any clinical trials of SABR for cancer of the prostate, head and neck, liver, spine or pancreas since December 2010.
	Finally, since 1 April 2013 NHS England has been responsible for commissioning radiotherapy services, including SABR. Its commissioning policy statement on SABR, published April 2013, also concluded that the SABR treatment was only suitable for a small subset of patients with early non-small cell lung cancer. The policy will be reviewed in April 2014, at which time the radiotherapy clinical reference group will examine whether further evidence has come to light regarding the clinical and cost effectiveness of SABR in treating other cancers.

Sexually Transmitted Infections: Young People

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people under 18 years are registered with (a) chlamydia, (b) herpes, (c) gonorrhoea and (d) genital warts.

Jane Ellison: The table provides data on the number of acute (STI) sexually transmitted infection diagnoses in England for those aged under 18 years in 2012. Data may include data recording errors which have led to an incorrect date of birth being entered, cases where an infection has been transmitted that does not involve penetrative sex or other sexual activity, and cases involving child abuse. Follow-up is not conducted to correct data entry errors, incorrect years of birth, and other reporting errors, thus the numbers reported in these age groups may not reflect infections that were sexually acquired.
	With regard to children under 13 years of age, using the term “sexually transmitted infection” is problematic as it is very rare for children to be sexually active at this age. Moreover recent research in which Public Health England has collaborated1 suggest that most routinely reported infections in under 11-year-olds were not acquired sexually; and of the few that may have been, sexual abuse was implicated.
	The Sexual Offences Act 2003 includes a clear framework of offences to protect children of all ages from sexual abuse. All penetrative sex with a child under 13 is automatically classified as rape. Government guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children (2010) makes it clear that cases involving under 13-year-olds who are having penetrative sex or are engaged in other intimate sexual activity are likely to involve significant harm to the child or children.
	Guidance for health professionals is that any case involving a child aged under 13 should be initially discussed with the child protection lead in the organisation. However, while the presumption is that the case should then be reported to Children's Social Care and a strategy discussion held, ultimately the decision on whether or not to break confidentiality is a judgment for a health professional to make. This must be based on the facts of each case, in which the child's interests are the overriding consideration.
	1 Genital herpes in children under 11 years and investigations for sexual abuse. Reading R, Hughes G, Hill J, Debelle G. Arch Dis Child. 2011 Aug;96(8):752-7
	
		
			 Acute STI diagnoses reported in patients under 18 years of age in England, 2012 
			   Age (in years) 
			 Diagnosis Gender <13 13 14 15 16 17 Total 
			 Chlamydia Male <5 <20 77 333 1,260 2,791 4,479 
			  Female <30 <130 780 2,617 6,160 9,191 18,901 
			  Total 44 145 868 2,986 7,505 12,115 23,663 
			          
			 Gonorrhoea Male 0 0 <10 <30 82 212 322 
			  Female <5 <10 <50 <150 286 498 977 
			  Total <5 <10 46 167 368 711 1,300 
			          
			 Genital herpes Male 0 <5 <10 <20 36 97 152 
			  Female <10 <10 <40 <140 397 646 1,220 
			  Total <10 <20 39 142 433 743 1,372 
			          
			 Genital warts Male <10 <5 10 26 150 506 704 
			  Female <30 <10 55 314 842 1,704 2,944 
			  Total 32 9 65 340 992 2,210 3,648 
			          
			 Other acute STIs Male <5 <5 27 97 386 901 1,418 
			  Female <10 <20 84 243 634 1,130 2,113 
			  Total 8 21 111 340 1,020 2,031 3,531 
			          
			 All acute STIs Male 16 23 124 491 1,914 4,507 7,075 
			  Female 58 167 994 3,448 8,319 13,169 26,155 
			  Total 90 192 1,129 3,975 10,318 17,810 33,514 
			 Notes: 1. Information on treatment of STIs is not collected. Those with an STI diagnosis are assumed to have been treated in line with national guidelines. 2. Table values represent the number of diagnoses and not the number of individuals diagnosed with an acute STI. 3. Data from infants aged 0 were excluded as these were most probably due to mother to child transmission. 4. Small cell values between 1 and 4 have been anonymised (e.g. with “<5”) to prevent deductive disclosure. Where the anonymised cell can be deduced from the total it has been necessary to anonymise additional data from the same row/column. 5. Data total may include 'not known' gender. 6. Data for “other acute STIs' include chancroid, lymphogranuloma venerum, molluscum contagiosum, non-specific genital infection, pediculus pubis, scabies, syphilis and trichomoniasis. Molluscum contagiosum, pediculus pubis, and scabies are not exclusively transmitted by sexual contact. 7. Data with incorrect year of birth and other data entry errors may be included. Sources: 1. Genitourinary Medicine Clinic Activity Data-set (GUMCAD) 2. Chlamydia Activity Testing Data-set (CTAD)

Sugar

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to reduce sugar in foodstuffs with the aim of reducing obesity levels and diagnosis of diabetes.

Jane Ellison: Our emphasis is on overall calorie reduction, of which sugar can form a part, which is key to tackling obesity and preventing the risk of type 2 diabetes. 38 businesses are currently signed up to the Responsibility Deal pledge to support and enable their customers to eat and drink fewer calories, including some of our biggest soft drinks manufacturers who are reducing calories and sugars in their drinks.

Telephone Services

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the Cabinet Office Guidance for Customer Service Helplines, published on 26 December 2013, when his Department expects to comply with the instruction set out in that guidance that non-geographic 084 numbers should by default use the 03 prefix.

Daniel Poulter: In July 2013 British Telecommunications (BT) confirmed that, whilst there are five non-geographical (084) numbers recorded as being in use by the Department, none of them generated any revenue. Of the five numbers, three were no longer in service and BT removed them from records. The other two related to an NHS Careers/Health visiting number and a Community Legal Aid number paid for by Legal Aid and changed to another 0845 number that is not the responsibility of the Department.

Tuberculosis

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to improve approaches to diagnosing latent tuberculosis in hard-to-reach-groups.

Jane Ellison: The Department recognises the public health importance of tackling tuberculosis (TB), particularly in large metropolitan areas and amongst certain vulnerable groups.
	We recognise the contribution that latent TB makes to the overall TB disease burden, which is why the Department commissioned the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to produce a short clinical guidance on TB services for hard-to-reach groups and makes recommendations on interferon immunological testing for diagnosing latent TB (published in March 2012).
	The Department is funding research projects on identifying latent TB in relation to the effectiveness of testing for latent TB and on the prognostic value of new blood tests that can predict active TB or latent TB.
	There is also a national strategy being developed by Public Health England in partnership with the Department, the national health service, local government and other key public and voluntary sector organisations to improve TB control in the United Kingdom. The strategy aims to strengthen TB control in every high incidence area, and to ensure high standards of care everywhere, leading to a year on year decrease in incidence, a reduction in health inequalities associated with TB, and to contribute to the ultimate aim of eventual elimination of the disease. This will include a focus on improving TB case finding and treatment in hard to reach groups. The strategy will be published in March 2014.

Energy: Meters

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with (a) mobile network operators and (b) broadband companies on (i) coverage of mobile signal and broadband and (ii) communication requirements of smart meters in rural areas in Scotland.

Gregory Barker: Coverage of mobile signals and broadband provision is the responsibility of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport which is working to bring high speed broadband to rural areas and to improve mobile infrastructure through Broadband Delivery UK.
	The Department of Energy and Climate Change has responsibility for the Smart Metering Implementation Programme. As part of this the Department recently procured three regional contracts on behalf of energy suppliers and network operators to provide wide area communications to carry messages to and from smart electricity and gas meters.
	A range of bidders competed for these contracts including two mobile network operators but no bidders offered solutions based on broadband technology. The contract for the north region of Great Britain, including Scotland, was awarded to Arqiva Smart Metering Ltd which has signed a contract with Smart DCC Ltd to implement a long range radio solution. Telefonica UK Ltd won the communications contracts for the Centre and South regions offering a solution based primarily on cellular technology.
	Officials from the Department work closely with colleagues in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to ensure that our policies remained aligned.

Energy: Meters

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many and what proportion of households in England were pre-payment customers of energy in each year since 2007; and what proportion of such customers were fuel poor.

Gregory Barker: holding answer 20 January 2014
	The following tables show how many and what proportion of households in England were pre-payment customers of gas and electricity, in each year of data available since 2007, alongside what proportion of pre-payment customers were fuel poor under the Low Income High Costs definition.
	
		
			 Gas 
			  Number of pre-payment households (thousand) Proportion of all households using pre-payment (%)1 Proportion of pre-payment households which are fuel poor (%) 
			 2007 2,196 11.7 20.7 
			 2008 2,249 12.0 21.9 
			 2009 2,272 12.1 23.0 
			 2010 2,310 12.3 22.9 
			 2011 2,452 12.8 19.0 
			 1Excludes households which do not use gas. 
		
	
	
		
			 Electricity 
			  Number of pre-payment households (thousand) Proportion of all households using pre-payment (%) Proportion of pre-payment households which are fuel poor (%) 
			 2007 2,914 13.6 19.7 
			 2008 2,932 13.7 21.1 
			 2009 3,013 14.0 22.2 
			 2010 3,054 14.1 21.9 
			 2011 3,186 14.5 18.6

Fracking

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the number of jobs likely to be generated by shale gas extraction (a) in the next licensing round and (b) at peak production in the UK.

Michael Fallon: holding answer 20 January 2014
	On 17 December, we published for consultation an Environmental Report as part of the process of strategic environmental assessment for further oil and gas licensing onshore. On a high activity scenario, the report estimates that in respect of activity on new licences only, oil and gas activities carried out under a potential 14th licensing round might create 16,000 to 32,000 new full-time equivalent positions in the peak development phase, including direct, indirect and induced jobs.
	A substantial area of Great Britain, over 7,000 square miles, is already licensed for oil and gas activities.
	Existing oil and gas activities are not included in this estimate.

Housing: Insulation

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which local authority and obligated energy company partnerships planning to undertake solid wall house insulation through the energy company obligation (ECO) which had been agreed in principle are now suspended or cancelled following changes to the configuration of the ECO.

Gregory Barker: The contractual arrangements between energy companies and local authorities (or other partners) in relation to delivery of the energy company obligation are a commercial matter between the parties involved.
	We are working with many local authorities through DECC's Green Deal Communities fund, which has been increased from £20 million to £80 million, to develop and support local energy efficiency projects including those where ECO support has been agreed or is envisaged.

Wind Power

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many (a) on shore and (b) off shore wind turbines have been erected in the UK in each of the last five years.

Gregory Barker: The number of turbines that have become fully operational in each year from 2009 to 2013 (up to 30 November 2013) is as follows:
	
		
			  2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 
			 Offshore Turbines 103 130 51 309 279 
			 Onshore Turbines 259 292 274 652 507 
		
	
	This does not take into account turbines that may already have been erected but where the actual wind farm development is yet to complete construction and become operational. The numbers also relate only to schemes requiring planning permission; there are likely to be some additional small-scale permitted development turbines not included here. The data has been extracted from DECC's Renewable Energy Planning Database:
	https://restats.decc.gov.uk/cms/planning-database/

Broadband

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to ensure that housing estates sited across council boundaries have access to uniform broadband speeds.

Edward Vaizey: The Government has a target of providing access to superfast broadband to 95% of premises by 2017. This coverage can be delivered through a range of technical solutions including Fibre to the Cabinet or Fibre to the Premises, each of which would deliver different speed capabilities to individual consumers. Consumers' experience is also affected by a number of factors in addition to the performance of the network provided in their area. These could include the type and installation of the equipment in their homes, distance of the property from an exchange or cabinet, and in-building wiring. Communications providers cannot guarantee the provision of uniform broadband speeds.
	In addition, where local areas cross local authority boundaries, there may be different commitments to improve broadband performance by the authorities concerned. Even where the authorities each have superfast broadband projects, they may have prioritised different areas for improvement. Consequently the pace of upgrade will not necessarily be the same in each local area.

Package Holidays

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the effect of the Package Travel Regulations on the size of the packages market for inbound tourism.

Helen Grant: There has been no assessment of the effect of the Package Travel Regulation (SI 1992/3288) on the market for inbound tourism, as the regulations apply only to packages sold or offered for sale in the UK, and provide additional rights and protection for consumers in the UK. The Government is currently involved in negotiations reforming the package travel directive, which are intended to bring it up to date with changes and technological advances in the travel market.

Radio Frequencies

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the effect of an increase in the annual licence fee for the 900 and 1800 MHz spectrum on (a) the level of private sector infrastructure investment in the 4G mobile network and (b) the speed at which 4G services will be rolled out across the UK.

Edward Vaizey: The Government directed Ofcom in December 2010 to revise the fees paid for licences to use spectrum in the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz bands following the auction of licences to use the 800 MHz and 2.6 GHz bands so as to reflect full market value. The Statutory Instrument making this direction was accompanied by an impact assessment which is available at:
	http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/3024/impacts
	The winners of the auction were announced on 20 February 2013 with the licences granted on 1 March 2013. On 10 October 2013 Ofcom published its proposals for revising these spectrum licence fees; the consultation closed 16 January. Ofcom will consider responses to its consultation carefully, including evidence submitted on the potential impacts of the proposed fees before coming to final decisions.

Telephone Services

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the Cabinet Office Guidance for Customer Service Helplines, published on 26 December 2013, when her Department expects to comply with the instruction set out in that guidance that non-geographic 084 numbers should by default use the 03 prefix.

Helen Grant: The Department fully complies with the guidance and does not use 084 numbers on any of its customer helplines.

Crown Prosecution Service

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney General how many complaints about the Crown Prosecution Service were referred to the Parliamentary Ombudsman in (a) 2013 and (b) each of the previous five years.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service does not collate the requested information. Requests for details of complaints referred to the parliamentary and health ombudsman should be made directly with the ombudsman.

Crown Prosecution Service

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many complaints about (a) Crown Prosecution Service legal decision-making, (b) non-legal decision-making and (c) legal and non-legal decision-making were upheld either wholly or in part in 2013 and each of the previous five years.

Oliver Heald: The following tables show the number of finalised complaints about the Crown Prosecution. Service (a) legal decision making, (b) non-legal decision making and (c) mixed (legal and non-legal) by outcome since 2010-11. Data for 2009-10 and 2008-09 are not available in the requested format.
	
		
			 2010-11 
			  Resolution  
			 Complaint Type Not Upheld Part Upheld Upheld Withdrawn Total 
			 Legal Decision Making 801 62 83 16 962 
			 Mixed (Legal and Non Legal Decision Making) 121 34 20 4 179 
			 Non Legal Decision Making 94 28 27 7 156 
			 Total 1,016 124 130 27 1,297 
		
	
	
		
			 2011-12 
			  Resolution  
			 Complaint Type Not Upheld Part Upheld Upheld Withdrawn Total 
			 Legal Decision Making 707 81 78 20 886 
			 Mixed (Legal and Non Legal Decision Making) 162 43 30 7 242 
			 Non Legal Decision Making 114 40 42 5 201 
			 Total 983 164 150 32 1,329 
		
	
	
		
			 2012-13 
			  Resolution  
			 Complaint Type Not Upheld Part Upheld Upheld Withdrawn Total 
			 Legal Decision Making 796 73 87 9 965 
			 Mixed (Legal and Non Legal Decision Making) 161 37 13  211 
			 Non Legal Decision Making 138 37 40 4 219 
			 Total 1,095 147 140 13 1,395 
		
	
	
		
			 2013-141 
			  Resolution  
			 Complaint Type Not Upheld Part Upheld Upheld Withdrawn Total 
			 Legal Decision Making 501 48 78 9 636 
			 Mixed (Legal and Non Legal Decision Making) 128 34 27 3 192 
			 Non Legal Decision Making 123 13 24 3 163 
		
	
	
		
			 Total 752 95 129 15 991 
			 1 April 2013 to 15 January 2014. Notes: 1. The CPS complaints data are available through a dedicated KIM site. 2. The data relates to the number of finalised CPS complaints which reached at least stage 1 of the CPS Feedback and Complaints procedure or were recorded as withdrawn in each year. 3. The CPS complaints data does not include cases reviewed under the Victim's Right to Review (VRR), which are recorded on separate system. 4. The CPS collects this data to assist in the effective management of its prosecution functions. 5. The CPS does not collect data which constitutes official statistics as defined in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. 6. The data has been drawn from the CPS's Feedback and Complaints KIM site, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. 7. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the CPS.

Early Guilty Plea Scheme

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General 
	(1)  how many violence against the person cases were of resolved by the Early Guilty Plea scheme in 2013; and on how many occasions during that year charges of (a) grievous bodily harm and (b) malicious wounding were left to lie on the file;
	(2)  how many cases of people charged with fraud and forgery offences were resolved by the Early Guilty Plea scheme in 2013; and on how many occasions during that year charges of fraud were left to lie on the file;
	(3)  how many sexual offences cases were resolved by the Early Guilty Plea scheme in 2013; and on how many occasions during that year charges of (a) rape and (b) sexual assault by penetration were left to lie on the file.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has not previously had a facility to disaggregate the Early Guilty Plea data by principal offence category. A new automated process has now been developed and data will be published once the accuracy and reliability of the data has been established.
	The data will not disaggregate the outcome of individual offences but will provide data on the principal offence category.

Early Guilty Plea Scheme

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney General how many cases of people charged with burglary were resolved by the Early Guilty Plea scheme in 2013; and on how many occasions during that year charges of (a) aggravated burglary and (b) burglary were left to lie on the file.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has not previously had a facility to disaggregate the Early Guilty Plea data by principal offence category. A new automated process has now been developed and data will be published once the accuracy and reliability of the data has been established.
	The data will not disaggregate the outcome of individual offences but will provide data on the principal offence category.

Serious Fraud Office

John Spellar: To ask the Attorney General pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2014, Official Report, column 428W, on the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), what responses the Director of the SFO has received to his letters.

Oliver Heald: The Director received one letter asking for clarification, which was given. There has been no other correspondence received and no payments have been returned.

Training

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Attorney-General which Ministers in the Law Officers' Departments have undertaken training courses; and in the case of each such course what the (a) name of the course provider, (b) purpose of the course and (c) cost of each session in the course was.

Oliver Heald: Ministers in the Attorney-General's Office have not attended any training courses incurring expenditure from the public purse since the general election in 2010. There are no ministers in the other Law Officers' Departments. As barristers, the Attorney-General and Solicitor-General are of course subject to requirements set out by the Bar Standards Board as to their continuing professional development.

British American Tobacco

Luciana Berger: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what representations the Minister without Portfolio, the right hon. Member for Rushcliffe, received from representatives of British American Tobacco; and how many meetings he has held with such representatives since May 2010.

Kenneth Clarke: I have not received any representations from British American Tobacco. I have had no meetings on policy with anyone representing British American Tobacco.

Defence: Procurement

Paul Flynn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office with reference to the answer of 10 November 2011, Official Report, column 454W, on defence: procurement, whether he now plans to lift the temporary exemption from publication for Ministry of Defence contracts associated with war like stores; what steps he has taken to keep the European Commission informed of progress towards lifting that exemption; and what arrangements he has made to make Ministry of Defence contract information more transparent.

Nick Hurd: There are no plans to lift the temporary exemption from publication for Ministry of Defence contracts associated with war like stores during the life of this Parliament.
	As part of the Government's transparency programme, the Ministry of Defence is required to publish details of non-exempt contracts above the value of £10,000 on Contracts Finder:
	https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder

Government Departments: Redundancy Pay

John Woodcock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many redundancy payments were made to employees of central government departments in each of the last three years; and what the total expenditure on redundancy payments was in each such year.

Francis Maude: The information requested is not held centrally. Individual Departments meet the costs of redundancies and report the relevant information in their resource accounts each year.
	The Government reformed the Civil Service Compensation Scheme in 2010 so that it was fairer for the taxpayer, did not create perverse incentives for civil servants, supported increasing efficiency in the workforce, and reduced costs.

Lord-Lieutenants

Kevan Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  to what extent vice lord lieutenants are required to be politically neutral; and what guidance on political objectivity is to given to them;
	(2)  whether vice lord lieutenants are prohibited from making donations to political parties.

Greg Clark: Vice Lord-Lieutenants are not prohibited from national political activity but should not be politically active at a local level. The guidance issued to Lord-Lieutenants is. That Vice Lord-Lieutenants and Deputy Lieutenants should regard their appointments as non-political and carry out their roles accordingly.
	Vice Lord-Lieutenants are not prohibited from making donations to political parties.

Public Sector: Employment

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps the Government is taking to relocate public sector jobs to areas of England with low rates of gross value added.

Francis Maude: Work force planning is the responsibility of each individual Department to determine. The information requested is not held centrally.

Public Sector: Fraud

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2014, Official Report, column 507W, on public sector: fraud, if he will provide details of the various data-sharing projects across government and the wider public sector that seek to access and share data in support of operational delivery, developing public services and improving efficiency; and if he will indicate how the work of each such project specifically relates to fraud.

Francis Maude: Departments and groups should be approached for details on what data sharing projects they have and how they specifically relate to fraud.

Training

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  which Ministers in his Department have undertaken training courses; and in the case of each such course what the (a) name of the course provider, (b) purpose of the course and (c) cost of each session in the course was;
	(2)  which Ministers in the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office have undertaken training courses; and in the case of each such course what the (a) name of the course provider, (b) purpose of the course and (c) cost of each session in the course was;
	(3)  which Ministers in No. 10 Downing Street have undertaken training courses; and in the case of each such course what the (a) name of the course provider was, (b) purpose of the course was and (c) cost of each session in the course was.

Oliver Letwin: The Prime Minister's Office and Deputy Prime Minister's Office are an integral part of the Cabinet Office.
	The Government is keen for both Ministers and officials to increase their knowledge of and interest in. China. To support my work on a range of China-related policies ranging from encouraging inward investment to improving the UK visa regime as well as my discussions with the Chinese authorities, I am having lessons in Mandarin at a cost of £45 plus VAT per session, from the recommended FCO language provider, Language Services Direct. I am reimbursing the Cabinet Office for these costs myself.
	I also attended a dementia awareness session organised by Dementia Friends.

Jobcentre Plus: Swindon

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) adults and (b) people aged 16 to 24 years old have been helped to find employment by Swindon Jobcentre Plus in each of the last three years.

Esther McVey: Every claimant is supported by their local jobcentre to find work. In the last three years the number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance in Swindon has fallen by over 800, or 18%. A breakdown of the figures is shown in the table.
	
		
			 Number of JSA claimants in Swindon 
			 Number 
			 November Aged 18 to 241 Aged 25+ 
			 2010 1,200 3,360 
			 2011 1,630 3,565 
			 2012 1,340 3,180 
			 2013 1,015 2,740 
			 116 and 17-year-olds do not have routine access to JSA. 
		
	
	Claimants are not required to tell us their reason for leaving JSA so it is not possible to say exactly how many move into employment each year. The 2011 Destinations Survey showed that, nationally, 68% move into work.

Jobseeker's Allowance

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make an assessment of the effect of the rules limiting claimants of jobseeker's allowance taking up training on a part-time basis of less than 16 hours per week on levels of participation in training programmes in those constituent parts of the UK where the youth unemployment rate exceeds 7 per cent.

Esther McVey: We do not currently hold any data on the impact of the 16 hour rule on the participation in training by young people in receipt of jobseeker's allowance (JSA) at a national or regional level. The Department does not have any current plans to undertake research into this area.

Personal Independence Payment

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the average processing time for personal independence payments applications was in the last year;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of personal independence payment applications that took more than (a) one month, (b) two months, (c) three months, (d) four months, (e) five months and (f) six months to process to completion in the last year.

Michael Penning: Personal independence payment started from April 2013 and although limited data has started to feed through, we need to wait until the Department has quality assured, meaningful figures for publication. The Department is working to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we are able to publish statistics that meet high quality standards at the earliest opportunity. We intend to publish official statistics on personal independence payment from spring 2014.

Personal Independence Payment

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with (a) individuals and (b) groups on personal independence payments.

Michael Penning: We have extensively engaged and consulted with disabled people and their organisations in an open and transparent manner throughout the design, development and implementation of personal independence payment (PIP). The assessment criteria for PIP were developed in collaboration with independent specialists in health, social care and disability, including disabled people.
	We have carried out extensive engagement throughout the progress of the Welfare Reform Act 2012—including two formal consultations last year, on the assessment criteria and on the detailed benefit rules, and a formal consultation this year on the ‘Moving around’ activity of the Mobility component. During the consultations officials met with over 60 organisations and held 26 consultation meetings with external organisations including Equality 2025, Disability Benefits Consortium, Disability Rights UK and the PIP Implementation Stakeholder Forum.
	We are continuing to work closely with disabled people and their organisations, such as Citizens Advice and Macmillan.
	Also, I personally meet with organisations of and for disabled people regularly, to discuss issues relating to my portfolio.

Procurement

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his Department's 10 largest contracts let since the financial year 2010-11 are; what savings have been made in such contracts; what the level of overspend or underspend was in each such contract; and what steps his Department has taken to monitor the performance of each supplier of such contract following the contract award.

Michael Penning: The 10 largest contracts let since 2010-11 are as follows:
	
		
			 Unique identifier Contract name Current value of contract (£) Supplier 
			 UI_DWP_100121 Desktop Services (Desktop 21) 318,500,000 HP Enterprise Services UK Ltd 
			 UI_DWP_100429 Personal Independence Payment (PIP)-Assessment Service (Lot 1) 206,703,507 Atos IT Services UK Ltd 
			 UI_DWP_100431 Personal Independence Payment (PIP)-Assessment Service (Lot 3) 183,894,556 Atos IT Services UK Ltd 
			 UI_DWP_003773 Work Programme-CPA08 171,315,070 Working Links (Employment) Ltd 
			 UI_DWP_003772 Work Programme-CPA08 147,142,668 Ingeus UK Ltd 
			 UI_DWP_003757 Work Programme-CPA02 121,727,394 A4eLtd 
			 UI_DWP_100430 Personal Independence Payment (PIP)-Assessment Service (Lot 2) 121,614,325 Capita Business Services Ltd 
			 Ul_DWP_003755 Work Programme-CPA 01 120,194,433 Ingeus UK Ltd 
			 UI_DWP_003758 Work Programme-CPA02 119,003,802 Ingeus UK Ltd 
			 UI_DWP_003767 Work Programme-CPA06 117,982,249 A4e Ltd 
		
	
	The savings made for the Desktop Services contract are £35,742,623 to December 2013. In respect of the personal independence payments contracts service delivery commenced in the PIP contracts in June 2013 and is due to continue until July 2017. As the assessment providers are still in the early stages of delivering these contracts, it is too early to realise savings. The savings made for Work programme contracts commenced in the procurement process and as a consequence of the payment by results model continue in live running.
	The level of overspend/underspend in respect of Desktop Services contract will not be available until end of contract term. Service delivery commenced in the PIP contracts in June 2013 and is due to continue until July 2017. As the assessment providers are still in the early stages of delivering these contracts, it is too early to give a view of the likelihood of under or overspending against them. The Work programme contracts are payment by result and therefore over or under spend is not an issue.
	Desktop Services contract obligations are monitored on a monthly basis to ensure conformance in line with the contract; Additional/new obligations not yet fully implemented are monitored separately but also on a monthly basis; Monthly feedback on performance is sought from internal groups; all obligations are discussed regularly with the supplier and plans are implemented to address obligations that have a Red or Amber status.
	For PIP contracts the Department has monthly performance meetings with both Atos and Capita and manages the performance of the suppliers against a range of service level agreements. These service level agreements are recorded within the contracts published on Contracts Finder.
	With regard to Work programme contracts monthly performance management information is used to support regular performance assessment meetings with contractors. Work programme providers are paid on a performance basis and measurements in respect of levels of spending are not a relevant contract measure.

Telephone Services

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the Cabinet Office Guidance for Customer Service Helplines, published on 26 December 2013, when his Department expects to comply with the instruction set out in that guidance that non-geographic 084 numbers should by default use the 03 prefix.

Esther McVey: DWP will start to introduce most 03 numbers to our existing 0845 helplines during March 2014. This dual number approach will allow the caller to make a choice on which number is best for them given the terms of their personal contract. This approach is accepted in the guidance.

Unemployed People: Basic Skills

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on boosting the literacy and numeracy of jobseekers in each Government Office region in each of the last six years.

Esther McVey: From April 2011 literacy and numeracy skills provision has been entirely funded through the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. In the three years prior to April 2011, DWP expenditure on boosting literacy and numeracy skills of jobseekers was:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2008-09 16,602,134 
			 2009-10 24,274,321 
			 2010-11 23,950,109 
		
	
	The expenditure information above is not available by Government Office Region for 2008-09 to 2010-11.

Vacancies: Barrow in Furness

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time vacancies were advertised in Jobcentre Plus in Barrow and Furness constituency in each quarter in each of the last five years.

Esther McVey: In November 2012 we introduced Universal Jobmatch, which replaced adverts in Jobcentre Plus offices, therefore we only have figures to meet this request up to that point.
	The full- and part-time vacancy numbers for the Barrow and Furness constituency from January 2009 up to the introduction of Universal Jobmatch in November 2012 are in the following table. We are unable to provide this information to Jobcentre level.
	
		
			  Full-time vacancies Part-time vacancies 
			 2009   
			 January 37 59 
			 February 164 115 
			 March 126 95 
			 April 410 99 
			 May 195 108 
			 June 184 122 
			 July 140 51 
			 August 239 159 
			 September 154 75 
			 October 184 96 
			 November 206 295 
			 December 223 148 
			    
			 2010   
			 January 145 81 
			 February 238 57 
			 March 157 158 
			 April 139 116 
			 May 223 143 
			 June 186 107 
			 July 182 134 
			 August 223 67 
			 September n/a n/a 
			 October 180 160 
			 November 134 145 
			 December 182 80 
			    
			 2011   
			 January 96 52 
			 February 142 68 
			 March 166 47 
			 April 167 104 
			 May 119 66 
			 June 155 47 
			 July 170 88 
			 August 152 70 
			 September 137 82 
			 October 270 137 
			 November 214 68 
			 December 305 61 
			    
			 2012   
			 January 140 37 
			 February 189 76 
			 March 158 68 
			 April 193 89 
			 May 222 118 
			 June 234 69 
			 July 187 110 
			 August 282 66 
			 September 183 78 
			 October 176 62 
			 November 187 105 
			 n/a = not available ONS Crown Copyright Reserved 
		
	
	Interpretation of Nomis data needs to take account of changes in recent years to Jobcentre Plus procedures for taking and handling vacancies. These figures are not fully comparable over time and may not indicate developments in the labour market. A more detailed explanation is available on the Nomis website.

Work Experience

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people aged (a) 16 and under and (b) over 16 years old undertook work experience in his Department in each of the last three years.

Michael Penning: Work experience placements are not offered to claimants 16 and under. In the last three years a total of 4,358 over 16-year-olds have undertaken a work experience placement in DWP.
	
		
			  Number 
			 2011 322 
			 2012 1,422 
			 2013 2,614 
			 Total 4,358 
		
	
	The numbers for 2011 are lower as the Work Experience programme commenced in August 2011, prior to this date work experience was carried out in local offices but the data was not held centrally.
	As part of the 'Get Britain Working' initiative DWP was challenged to achieve 3,000 work experience placements by 31 March 2013. This target was exceeded in February 2013.
	From June 2013, the Department extended work experience opportunities to all of its business areas. This has resulted in a marked increase in the number of work experience placements taken up.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether, in a case where a Work Programme participant has an appointment with a provider but then agrees with the provider to attend at a different date, and does so, the provider should make a report which could lead to a benefit sanction; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: I want to assure you that sanctions are not imposed without good reason. If a Work programme participant fails to start or complete any mandatory activity, the provider will first discuss the reasons why with the participant and seek practical solutions around this. Ultimately however, it is the provider's discretion whether to refer a compliance doubt to the Jobcentre Plus Decision Maker for consideration of a sanction. If individuals consider this decision to be unfair they have the right to appeal.

Work Programme

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the current performance of the Work Programme.

Esther McVey: The Work programme is working and is getting people into sustained jobs.
	Assessment of the Work programme performance has shown great improvements since the programme was launched in June 2011. Up until the end of September 2012, over 54,000 had found lasting work (normally at least six months); by the end of September 2013, this has almost quadrupled to 208,000 people.

Work Experience

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how many people aged (a) 16 and under and (b) over 16 years old undertook work experience in the Government Equalities Office in each of the last three years.

Helen Grant: Government Equalities Office, which is part of DCMS, does not hold records of informal work experience placements which employees may arrange. The Department did take part in the Cabinet Office organised social mobility foundation placements for 16 to 17-year-olds for the last two years. As the number involved is so few I cannot release the figures in accordance with established data protection principles.

Apprentices

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to ensure apprentices employed by (a) the Leadership Development Centre and (b) Vision Lifestyle are paid all outstanding monies owed to them.

Matthew Hancock: holding answer 16 January 2014
	This matter is currently being followed up by Stockton Riverside College and First for Skills. These are the two organisations currently contracted by Skills Funding Agency (SFA) for delivery of Apprenticeships, who have in turn entered into sub contract arrangements with Leadership Development Centre. The SFA does not have any direct contract with the Leadership Development Centre or Vision Lifestyle.
	The SFA is in close communication with Stockton Riverside College and First for Skills to ensure they are taking the appropriate steps to ensure apprentices trained by Leadership Development Centre are able to continue and complete their training and Apprenticeship programme.

Apprentices

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department can take when apprentices are not paid on time by their employer.

Matthew Hancock: holding answer 16 January 2014
	Unless the apprentice is contracted through an approved Apprenticeship Training Agency (ATA), the responsibility for payment of apprentices wages rests with the employer and will be covered by the terms of the contract of employment between the employer and the apprentice. The training provider cannot use Agency funding to pay the apprentice. Should the employer be unable to continue paying the apprentice, the training provider will work with the apprentice to find another suitable employer and may pay the individual whilst doing so.

Apprentices

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills under which of his Department's programmes (a) the Leadership Development Centre and (b) Vision Lifestyle were given a contract to employ apprentices; what due diligence his Department undertook as part of the contracting process; if he will undertake an investigation of the contracting process for that programme; and if he will make a statement.

Matthew Hancock: holding answer 16 January 2014
	The Skills Funding Agency has a direct contract with Stockton Riverside College using the Adult Skills Budget—Apprenticeships and 16-18 Apprenticeships budget. The Leadership Development Centre is a subcontractor to the college. Vision Lifestyle is not declared to the agency as a subcontractor to the college. The agency requires the college to select its subcontractors fairly and that subcontractors have sufficient capacity, capability, quality and financial standing to deliver the provision. The contractor remains ultimately responsible for all provision that is subcontracted.

Breastfeeding

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the contribution of the hon. Member for East Durbatonshire of 25 April 2013, Official Report, columns 801-2, what progress he has made on issuing guidance on breastfeeding at work.

Jennifer Willott: Acas have consulted with a number of stakeholders to develop guidance and advice for employers in supporting mothers whilst breastfeeding at work. The guidance sets out the statutory minimum requirements for employers as well as good practice guidance to enable employers help support employees who choose to continue breastfeeding on return to work.
	This guidance will be published on the Acas website in the coming weeks.

Business: Leicester

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many companies registered in (a) Leicester South constituency and (b) Leicester city are classified as (i) small and (ii) medium-sized as defined by the Companies Act 1985.

Michael Fallon: According to Companies House, there are an estimated 1,468 companies in the Leicester South constituency and 10,894 in Leicester City. However, Companies House cannot determine the number of companies classified as (a) small and (b) medium sized as defined by the Companies Act 2006. The definitions are based on turnover, balance sheet total and number of employees and Companies House does not capture this information.

Literacy: Swindon

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department spent on the provision of adult literacy services in Swindon in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13.

Matthew Hancock: The amount spent on the provision of adult literacy services (English basic skills training from the Adult Skills Budget) for the past three academic years for Swindon is set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Academic year £ million 
			 2010-11 0.41 
			 2011-12 0.57 
			 2012-13 0.70 
			 Notes: 1. Figures do not include English for Speakers of Other Languages and include English training as part of an Apprenticeship. 2. These data do not include English training undertaken as part of the Employer Ownership Pilot. 3. The spend is estimated based on data from the Individualised Learner Record (ILR).

Minimum Wage: Personal Care Services

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment his Department has made of best steps to be taken to reduce non-compliance with national minimum wage rates in the hairdressing sector.

Jennifer Willott: The Government takes the enforcement of the national minimum wage (NMW) very seriously and dedicates a substantial amount of resources to addressing non-compliance both generally and through a targeted approach.
	At a general level HMRC review every single complaint made to the Pay and Work Rights Helpline by all workers.
	Between 1 April 2013-12 January 2014 HMRC have identified £183,079 arrears for 163 workers in the hairdressing sector.
	In addition the Government is also toughening up on enforcement of the NMW. The revised NMW Naming and Shaming scheme which came into effect on 1 October 2013 made it easier to name employers that break national minimum wage law. By naming and shaming employers it is hoped that bad publicity will be an additional deterrent to employers who would otherwise be tempted not to pay the NMW. We anticipate naming employers very soon. The Government also announced that we will be increasing the NMW financial penalty in February 2014 subject to regulation receiving parliamentary approval.
	At a targeted level the Government has stepped up its communication activity to increase the level of awareness of the minimum wage rules across the board. As part of a spot the difference campaign we issued national and regional press releases targeting the top five sectors including hairdressing as well as the top five regions. We want to help employers avoid falling foul of minimum wage rules unwittingly, and ensure that individuals are well-informed about their minimum wage eligibility. This will also motivate employers to comply with NMW by highlighting the benefits to their businesses and drawing attention to the consequences of not paying workers what they are legally entitled to.
	Anyone not receiving the minimum wage that they are legally entitled to should call the Pay and Work Rights Helpline on 0800 917 2368.

National Careers Service

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 9 January 2014, Official Report, column 330W, on National Careers Service, what estimate has been made of the proportion of careers advisers who will be qualified to level six by January 2015.

Matthew Hancock: On current trends we estimate that over 40% of careers advisers will be qualified to Level 6 by January 2015.

New Businesses

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many approvals were granted by the Registrar of Companies in each of the years ending 31 March from 2007 to 2013 in (a) Swindon and (b) the UK.

Michael Fallon: Companies House estimate that the Registrar of Companies incorporated (your office has clarified that this was what was meant by ‘approvals’) the following number of corporate bodies in each of the years ending 31 March from 2007 to 2013 in (a) Swindon and (b) the UK:
	
		
			 Swindon 
			 Financial year Number of incorporations 
			 2006-07 2,232 
			 2007-08 1,854 
			 2008-09 1,733 
			 2009-10 1,824 
			 2010-11 2,042 
			 2011-12 2,371 
			 2012-13 2,413 
		
	
	
		
			 UK 
			 Financial year Number of incorporations (thousand) 
			 2006-07 449.7 
			 2007-08 372.4 
			 2008-09 330.1 
			 2009-10 365.6 
			 2010-11 400.6 
			 2011-12 455.6 
			 2012-13 482.8

Overseas Trade: Africa

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs regarding the High Level Prosperity Partnership countries and their agreements to drive growth and prosperity in (a) the UK and (b) Africa.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) fully supports the work on the High Level Prosperity Partnership Pilot which is being led for UKTI by the Minister for Trade and Investment, my noble Friend Lord Livingston of Parkhead. He is in close contact with the Minister for Africa, my hon. Friend the Member for Boston and Skegness (Mark Simmonds), and the Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening). A key aim is to work more closely across Government, so that UK-based businesses can be better positioned to win business in Africa. This will support the development of the five African markets covered by the pilot, and be of benefit to both the UK and Africa. The focus of UKTI is twofold; helping deliver major projects, including the High Value Opportunity in oil and gas in Eastern Africa, and supporting small and medium sized businesses.

Post Offices

Robert Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what conditions his Department places on Post Office Ltd to provide services in the event of the retirement of a sub-postmaster.

Jennifer Willott: The Post Office is required to maintain a network of at least 11,500 branches, and to meet the Government-set access criteria that see, for example, 99% of the national population within three miles of a post office outlet.
	Sub-postmasters are private businesspeople who are contracted by Post Office Ltd to provide access to Post Office services. Where a sub-postmaster leaves the network, Post Office Ltd works to identify a new sub-postmaster in the community to provide continuity of service.
	If a branch can viably convert to one of the new operating models under the Network Transformation Programme, a sub-postmaster can only choose to leave the network with compensation if another sub-postmaster is ready to provide continued access to services within the community.

Skills Funding Agency

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when his letter to the Skills Funding Agency on funding for 2014-15 will be published; and what the reasons are for the time taken to publish that letter.

Matthew Hancock: The Skills Funding Statement will be published shortly. The letter to the Skills Funding Agency on funding for 2014-15 expands upon the information published in the Skills Funding Statement and hence will be published shortly afterwards.

Stockdale Riverside College

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the total value is of the contract entered into by Stockdale Riverside College and (a) the Leadership Development Centre and (b) Vision Lifestyle for the employment of apprentices.

Matthew Hancock: The total value of the contract entered into by Stockton Riverside College with Leadership Development Centre for 2013-14 is £412,715. This is sub-divided into £345,877 for 16-18 Apprenticeships and £66,838 for Adult Skills Budget Apprenticeships. Stockton Riverside College has not declared that it has a contract with Vision Lifestyle for use of Skills Funding Agency funds.

Stockdale Riverside College

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what due diligence process his Department required (a) the Leadership Development Centre and (b) Vision Lifestyle to undertake prior to their acceptance as sub-contractors for Stockton Riverside College to employ apprentices.

Matthew Hancock: holding answer 16 January 2014
	The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) requires its contractors to notify it of any subcontractors it intends to use. According to information supplied by Stockton Riverside College to the SFA, Vision Lifestyle is not a subcontractor to the college. The Leadership Development Centre is a subcontractor to the college.
	The SFA requires that providers do not appoint subcontractors with a contract value of £100,000 or above per funding year unless they are listed on the Agency's Register of Training Organisations. The Agency also requires that the college selects its subcontractors fairly and that subcontractors have sufficient capacity, capability, quality and financial standing to deliver the provision. The contractor remains ultimately responsible for all provision that is subcontracted.

UK Trade and Investment: East Midlands

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many UK Trade & Investment employees based in the East Midlands were employed on attracting inward investment to Leicester in 2013.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) resource tasked with attracting inward investment is divided between the UK and priority markets overseas. There were 34 priority markets in 2010 and 2012. In 2013, these rose to 40.
	UKTI investment resource in the UK and priority markets overseas is responsible for supporting inward investment to the UK and promoting UK capability at the national, regional and local level. In 2012 and 2013 no employees were deployed on a city by city basis within England.

Electoral Register

Lucy Powell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of those on the current electoral register in each parliamentary constituency who are at risk of not being transferred to the new electoral register after 2015.

Greg Clark: Electoral registers are compiled and maintained by local authorities, which usually cover multiple and partial parliamentary constituencies.
	To safeguard the completeness and accuracy of the register in the transition to Individual Electoral Registration, the Government is using data matching to confirm the vast majority of existing electors.
	Those people who are not automatically matched will be invited to apply, and then reminded and visited by a canvasser, both in 2014 and 2015. In addition, the Government is making registration more accessible by introducing online registration and providing additional resources at a national and local level to fund activities to boost the completeness and accuracy of the register.

Primary Elections

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress his Department has made in the last three years on establishing 200 all-postal primaries.

Greg Clark: There are significant costs associated with funding 200 all-postal primaries. The Government is still considering how to take this measure forward.
	Political parties can choose to fund all-postal primaries where they want to, without funding from the taxpayer.

Somalia

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of human rights in Somalia; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Simmonds: Respect for human rights in Somalia remains poor. The Federal Government of Somalia has made ambitious commitments to improve human rights by creating functioning justice institutions, by zero tolerance for crimes of sexual violence, and by the establishment of national human rights institutions. The UK welcomes these commitments and actively supports them.

Pakistan: Religious Minorities

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in Pakistan on the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities in that country.

Hugh Robertson: My right hon. and noble Friend Baroness Warsi raised the issue of religious minorities with the Pakistani Prime Minister during her most recent visit to Pakistan and during the UN General Assembly. We continue to raise the issue of the persecution of religious minorities on a regular basis with the authorities in Pakistan.

Israel: Children In Military Custody

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on implementing the recommendations of the report entitled “Children in Military Custody” published in June 2012.

Hugh Robertson: We regularly discuss the issue and the recommendations of the report with the Israeli Government, most recently on 31 December. The UK also raised this issue at Israel's Universal Periodic Review session at the UN Human Rights Council on 29 October, recommending audio-visual recording for all interviews of child detainees.

Zimbabwe

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the political and economic situation in Zimbabwe.

Mark Simmonds: Despite flawed elections, the political situation remains stable. However, the government now needs to deliver for the Zimbabwean people, in particular on its constitutional commitments, secured under the Global Political Agreement.
	Zimbabwe's economy remains fragile, and we remain extremely concerned about the potential impact of government policies on ordinary Zimbabweans and the region.

Buildings

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which buildings occupied by his Department are owned or part-owned privately; what the total value is of the rent paid to private landlords for the use of such buildings for official duties; and to whom such rent is paid.

David Lidington: During 2012-13, the latest complete year for which data are available, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) paid the following rent for privately-owned buildings used for official duties:
	In the UK, £1,957,363 on five buildings:
	1 Carlton Gardens, London, SW1
	Lancaster House, London, SW1
	Northgate House, Milton Keynes
	Part of Norfolk House, Milton Keynes (stopped renting 28 February 2013)
	Part 12th Floor, Centrepoint, New Oxford Street, London WC1 (stopped renting 31 May 2013)
	Overseas, £36,623,275, was paid in rent and service charges on 244 office buildings and Heads of Posts' Residences, plus ground rent on a further 64 buildings in the financial year 2012-13. Offices overseas accommodate not only FCO staff but also Government partners and wider public sector organisations (e.g. the National Crime Agency and the Police). This figure also includes some payments in respect of ancillary land and buildings, e.g. car parks and storerooms. To break these figures down further would incur disproportionate costs.
	Details of the private landlords have not been provided as this would be commercially sensitive.

India

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he holds on the alleged involvement of the then UK Government in the attack on the Golden Temple, Amritsar in 1984; and if he will make a statement.

Hugo Swire: As stated by the Prime Minister in the House of Commons on 15 January 2014, Official Report, column 849, the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), has been asked to lead an urgent review to establish the facts and that this process is under way. As also stated by the Prime Minister the findings will be made public.

India

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will order the release of any further government documents relating to the attack on the Golden Temple, Amritsar in 1984.

Hugo Swire: As stated by the Prime Minister in the House of Commons on 15 January 2014, Official Report, column 849, the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), has been asked to lead an urgent review to establish the facts and that this process is under way. As also stated by the Prime Minister the findings will be made public.

India

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish all relevant documents outlining the extent of the UK's involvement in the 1984 Amritsar attack.

Hugo Swire: As stated by the Prime Minister in the House of Commons on 15 January 2014, Official Report, column 849, the Cabinet Secretary, the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), has been asked to lead an urgent review to establish the facts and that this process is under way. As also stated by the Prime Minister the findings will be made public.

Nuclear Weapons

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representation the UK intends to send to the second conference on the Humanitarian Consequences of Nuclear Weapons in Nayarit, Mexico on 13-14 February 2014.

Hugh Robertson: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 2 December 2013, Official Report, column 570W, to the hon. Member for Islington North (Jeremy Corbyn).
	I will inform the House when a decision on attendance has been made.

Telephone Services

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the Cabinet Office Guidance for Customer Service Helplines, published on 26 December 2013, when his Department expects to comply with the instruction set out in that guidance that non-geographic 084 numbers should by default use the 03 prefix.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is already compliant with this guidance.

USA

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to his US counterpart on the fairness of the trial of the Miami Five; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: The British Government will not make representations to the US Government on the trial of the Miami Five. The British embassy in Washington continues to monitor the issue.
	The Miami Five were tried and convicted in December 2001 in a seven month open trial of having committed crimes in the US including using false identification, espionage and conspiracy to commit murder.

Bangladesh

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which of her Department's aids programmes in Bangladesh are being reviewed for a reduction in funding; and what the end date of each such project is.

Alan Duncan: DFID regularly reviews the performance of all programmes to identify actions to improve performance and implications for funding. Annual reviews of our programmes are published on the Development Tracker website at:
	http://devtracker.dfid.gov.uk/

Bangladesh

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what arrangements her Department has put in place to ensure that funds given directly to the government of Bangladesh are properly accounted for.

Alan Duncan: No aid is provided as direct budget support to Bangladesh. About one third of UK aid to Bangladesh goes through Government systems. We reimburse the Government once agreed activities have been undertaken or agreed results have been delivered. Multilateral take responsibility for oversight of the finances and reporting, and funds go to the Government only once these checks have been made. Financial reports from the Government are audited annually.

Bangladesh

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will reduce the funding her Department gives directly to the government of Bangladesh.

Alan Duncan: DFID is watching events carefully in Bangladesh following the recent elections. We have no intention of rushing into any decisions and have not cancelled any existing programmes.

Developing Countries: Homosexuality

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid the Government gives to countries with laws that discriminate against homosexuality.

Justine Greening: The UK Government monitors human rights overseas very closely and our assessment is published annually in the Foreign Office's Human Rights and Democracy report. We raise our concerns about human rights issues wherever and whenever they exist. Any direct financial aid to partner Governments is only provided after we have assessed their respect for human rights.

Overseas Aid

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much and what proportion of UK Official Development Assistance was allocated exclusively to her Department's budget in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12 and (d) 2012-13.

Alan Duncan: The following table provides information on the amount and proportion of UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) that was spent by DFID during the years 2009-12. ODA is calculated by calendar year.
	
		
			  DFID Official Development Assistance (£ million) UK Official Development Assistance (£ million) DFID Allocation of Official Development Assistance (%) 
			 2009 6,291 7,223 87 
			 2010 7,386 8,452 87 
			 2011 7,723 8,629 90 
			 2012 7,593 8,766 87

Training

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which Ministers in her Department have undertaken training courses; and in the case of each such course what the (a) name of the course provider was, (b) purpose of the course was and (c) cost of each session in the course was.

Alan Duncan: DFID does not publish details of individual Ministers' personal training and development plans and activities. This is in line with the approach on civil servants and Data Protection Legislation.